Cold room project case study in France: GDP-compliant pharma store plus chilled food zone, Lyon region
A GDP-compliant pharmaceutical storage zone was created inside an existing chilled facility, with qualification and mapping delivered as part of the supply contract.
A 1,050-pallet +2 to +8 °c chilled facility in France of roughly 4,800 m³, built with central plant, multi-compressor, models at about USD 2,292,652 installed (USD 1,834,121–USD 2,980,447 planning range) and USD 432,773 a year to run, over a 52-week programme from brief to handover. Figures are indicative planning estimates from ColdMatch Group's country cost model — not a quotation.
A senior cold-chain specialist stays with your project from first brief to commissioning.
What was built, and for whom
Moderate humidity — standard defrost and condenser selection
~20 generator hours modelled per year
Local band 0.120–0.200 USD/kWh
Zones
- GDP pharma store +2 to +8 °C, 500 pallets, fully mapped
- Chilled food store +2 to +4 °C, 450 pallets
- Controlled dispatch airlock
What a project like this costs in France
Derived from the same indicative country cost model used by the public ColdMatch calculators: local construction cost index, design ambient, humidity, grid reliability, diesel price and electricity tariff. Planning-grade estimates, never a quotation.
Planning range USD 1,834,121–USD 2,980,447
USD 478 per m³
37% of it is energy
121 kW average refrigeration load
| Envelope, plant, electrical and installation | USD 2,121,132 |
| Standby generation | USD 148,479 |
| Monitoring and alarms | USD 23,040 |
| Total installed | USD 2,292,652 |
| Grid electricity (1,057,003 kWh) | USD 158,550 |
| Standby diesel (574 litres) | USD 976 |
| Maintenance and spares | USD 86,571 |
| Operations labour (11 staff) | USD 181,720 |
| Monitoring and compliance | USD 4,956 |
| Total per year | USD 432,773 |
Running the same facility on legacy fixed-speed plant models at USD 516,428 a year — about USD 83,654 more, which is the efficiency decision this project turned on.
What made this project difficult in France
These are the local realities that change the design, the price and the supplier shortlist.
- GDP requires qualification, mapping, alarms and documented deviations
- Existing building imposes layout and plant-room limits
- High electricity price rewards efficiency investment
The decisions that shaped the result
- N+1 refrigeration on the pharma zone with independent monitoring
- IQ/OQ/PQ and mapping written into the supplier scope with acceptance criteria
- Deviation workflow agreed with the quality team before go-live
Programme: about 52 weeks from brief to handover
Phases overlap in practice. This sequence shows where the schedule risk sits in this market.
- 1
Brief and feasibility
Weeks 1–3 · 3 weeksProduct, temperature, capacity, site status, electrical supply, budget band and timeline confirmed. ColdMatch reviews the brief and flags missing data before anyone is approached.
- 2
Concept design and RFQ preparation
Weeks 4–7 · 4 weeksZone layout, load estimate, system shortlist and a single bid form so every supplier quotes identical scope, exclusions and assumptions.
- 3
Supplier review and tendering
Weeks 8–13 · 6 weeksSuitable suppliers are approached only after internal approval, then proposals are normalised on scope, energy assumptions, spares, commissioning and warranty.
- 4
Building preparation
Weeks 14–18 · 5 weeksShell repairs, floor preparation, electrical upgrade and dock modifications inside the existing building.
- 5
Equipment manufacture and delivery
Weeks 19–34 · 16 weeksPlant and panel manufacture with delivery sequenced to the installation programme.
- 6
Installation and insulation
Weeks 35–44 · 10 weeksPanel erection, refrigeration pipework, electrical installation and controls.
- 7
Commissioning, pull-down and handover
Weeks 45–48 · 4 weeksLeak and pressure testing, staged pull-down, performance verification against the specified duty, operator training, spares handover and documentation.
- 8
Qualification and mapping
Weeks 49–52 · 4 weeksIQ/OQ/PQ, temperature mapping in loaded and empty conditions, alarm testing and the documentation pack required for audits.
What the project delivered
- GDP zone qualified and released with a complete documentation pack
- Food and pharma operations separated without a second building
- Alarm escalation tested and documented at handover
What buyers in this market should take from it
- Qualification is a deliverable with acceptance criteria — never a promise
- Ask who signs the mapping report before you sign the contract
Tools and market data for France
Change the capacity, temperature and system and the numbers above move. These tools use the same country model.
Cold storage project costs and timelines in France
How ColdMatch Group works — independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform — ColdMatch Group is an independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform for industrial refrigeration, cold storage and cold-chain projects from USD $250K+, connecting buyers with qualified third-party suppliers, EPC contractors and independent financing providers.
Have a comparable project in France?
Submit your product type, temperatures, capacity, site status, power situation, budget band and timeline. David and the ColdMatch team review the brief, structure the RFQ so every supplier quotes the same scope, and approach suitable suppliers only after internal approval.
This is a worked project example built from ColdMatch Group's indicative country cost model — local electricity tariff, design ambient, humidity, grid reliability and construction cost index. It is a planning-grade illustration, not a client transaction, an engineering design or a quotation. Supplier and manufacturer listings on this site are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.